Life — September 18, 1890 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Equestrian Fashion Satire This Life magazine page satirizes women's riding fashion and etiquette from the late 19th or early 20th century. The top panels show "one of the first divided skirts" and "a hunting lady's costume" — innovative but controversial clothing that allowed women to ride astride horses rather than sidesaddle, which was traditionally considered proper. The central scene depicts fashionable riders in a parade or procession, while the lower panel humorously illustrates the practical problem: dealers pointing out "stout cob with new fangled riding habit for ladies" and noting what's "entirely out of the market" — the horses themselves become afterthoughts to the costume debate. The satire mocks society's obsession with appearance and propriety over practical functionality in women's riding attire.